Known are nail clipping devices useful for manicuring or pedicuring purposes. Such devices typically comprise a pair of resilient metal leaf springs secured together in overlapping engagement at respective first ends of the springs and having at respective second ends thereof blades or shearing elements movable upon actuation of a handle to a position where the blades are set in nail clamping engagement. A fingernail or toenail positioned between the blades can be severed upon actuation of the handle.
A disadvantage of conventional nail clipping devices is that they permit the scattering of nail clippings, such scattering caused by the manner in which the blades or shearing elements operate. Specifically, the blades, when moved to the clamping position, compress the nail, thus flattening its natural curvature. When the nail is clipped, the same snaps back to its natural shape thereby projecting the clipping into unpredictable trajectories. Such clippings, for example, can lodge in a user's eye resulting in grave consequences. More often, however, the clippings find their way into the pile of a carpet. There, the clippings tend to accumulate and can result in injury to an unprotected foot of a person walking on the carpet.
To solve the foregoing disadvantage associated with conventional nail clipping devices, there has been provided on such devices receptacles and the like in which the clippings are prevented from scattering and collected for disposal. Such improved nail clipping devices are typified by receptacles or the like extending along the lower and/or upper leaf springs. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,180,025, to Tsunemi, issued Apr. 27, 1965; David, 2,837,821, issued June 10, 1958; and Smith, 2,179,435, issued Nov. 7, 1939.
While such improved clipping devices prevent the scattering of clippings, they are objectionable in that use of such clipping devices result in the accumulation of clippings in the receptacle due to (1) the shape of the receptacle, (2) the inconvenient position of the opening thereon permitting removal of the clippings and (3) the fact that emptying the receptacle requires an additional step over and above the step of setting the clipping device handle from an operative position to a stored position, which step is often not performed as being inconvenient. The accumulation of clippings in the receptacle render it difficult to clip nails when the retainers are filled and is unsanitary.
It has thus been found desirable to provide a nail clipping device having a receptacle for trapping nail clippings, wherein the nail clippings can be easily emptied from the receptacle at the same time and by the same action of moving the handle from its operative to its inoperative stored position. It has been further desirable to provide such a nail clipping device with other advantages hereinafter discussed in detail.